Joseph Anthony Gulash III's Obituary
“At this moment, you should be with us
Feeling like we do
Like you love to
But never will again”
Joseph Anthony Gulash III—Joe to friends and Joe-Joe to family—loved these words. They are the opening lyrics to “Three Days”, his favorite song by Jane’s Addiction, his favorite band.
Joe died Tuesday, November 5 at his home in Clearwater, Florida. He was 50 years old. He is survived by many who loved him dearly: mother Edith (Edie) Whiteside; father Joseph Gulash, Jr.; sister Angela Petrie (husband Brian and children Kai and Elijah); stepbrother Kevin Whiteside (wife Marybeth children Noah and Hannah).
Joe was born in Virginia Beach, Virginia on March 6, 1974, the first child born to his immediate family. His sizable extended family included 24 Aunts and Uncles, 34 first cousins and countless second ones. He spent his youth in Marietta, Georgia, where his natural athleticism and gift for strategic thinking made him a star player on his high school’s soccer team and earned him a spot on Team USA, for a summer European tour. He went on to receive a scholarship to Georgia State University, playing on its soccer team, and graduating with a Bachelor of Business Administration.
Professionally, Joe was, in the words of numerous colleagues, “a mentor and a protector.” His career began in financial services, with a focus on marketing and sales, at Georgia-based Primerica, after which he relocated to Florida, where he spent eight years working at Employee Leasing Solutions in sales and marketing as well. His most recent title was Director of Sales Training, Independent Insurance Distribution at AmeriLife. Joe had a knack for organization and technology, and he excelled at finding ways to make processes efficient and the people who use them happy.
Outside the office, Joe’s passions were more creative. He loved music—specifically, hearing his favorite bands play live—and was known to cross multiple state lines within a single weekend to see a reunion show or farewell tour. (An impressive collection of concert t-shirts attests to this love.) He also appreciated art—Banksy, in particular—and in recent years, had become an accomplished home chef, scouring the Saturday farmer’s market for the ingredients and spices required to recreate his favorite restaurant menus.
In friendship, Joe’s orientation was to service, making meals for infirm friends and walking his neighbor’s dogs after a prolonged illness. (Joe himself was the proud papa of two yellow labs, Sati and Indi, and Natas, a black lab. According to his sister, they were, in addition to his niece and nephews, the loves of his life.)
Joe’s care was often quiet, but never inauthentic. As one friend put it: ““He was so honest, sometimes brutally. But most of the time it was something I needed to hear, and he knew it. But there were also the times Joe handed out compliments that came out of nowhere. And I knew that he meant those, too, because he was not one to mince words.”
Joe is—and will remain—greatly missed. For him, we hold close to the resonant lyrics of that favorite Jane’s Addiction song:
Shadows of the morning light
Shadows of the evening sun
Till the shadows and the light were one…
All of us with wings
A Celebration of Life will be held at Moss Feaster Funeral Home in Clearwater, Florida on Friday, November 15th from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Joe's name to your favorite animal charity.
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